The was posted on the 27th in Bangkok (sp?) Post, but the link has since disappeared:
Munich, Germany _ The sale of Nazi-era stamps depicting swastikas is legal
in Germany, but their display in shop windows is not, a Munich court ruled
on Tuesday.
The court found a stamp trader guilty of breaking the law by displaying such
stamps, but did not order any punishment because the offence was deemed to
be minor.
Such stamps can, however, be displayed in shop windows if the swastika
symbols are concealed and if clients are informed of the ban on their public
display, the court ruled.
Under German law the use or display of “unconstitutional symbols” such as
swastikas is punishable by up to three years in jail.AFP
There has been a bit of discussion on this both in RCSD and VSC (Can’t find the link).
While it is understandable that the German people do not want the spectre of Nazism to ever rear it’s ugly head again, I just cannot agree with this ruling. Censorship in any form is bad enough, but when it is backed up by the government in the form of the threat of loss of freedom, property, or money, it is especially heinous. It is precisely these techniques that allowed the Nazis to come to power in the first place. What do you think?
